This is a plot where the characters participate in an amateur talent contest.

The plot usually begins with the character need some money or something similar and the upcoming talent contest has a cash prize that suit their needs. So, they rehearse and usually create a professional level act, usually a musical number.

The special thing with this plot that the heroes typically ''never'' win the contest, or at least not in circumstances they were expecting. When they do lose, they take the loss gracefully, but find they have earned something far better for their efforts such as a business owner wants them to be his establishment's house band or a record label agent wants to sign them on.

Tropes that might appear during this plot include CrackDefeat, DarkHorseVictory, OneJudgeToRuleThemAll.----!!Examples

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]

* Girls und Panzer: OVA 6 includes a talent show, with the teams competing for 100,000¥ worth of [[spoiler: dried sweet potatoes]]. As a twist, none of the teams are allowed to use their typical specialty (for example, the Duck Team, composed of the disbanded volleyball team, can't do anything related to volleyball), but that doesn't stop Hippo Team/the historical team from inserting period history references into their production of LittleWomen.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films - Live Action]]%%* ''Film/BandSlam''* ''[[Film/TheLittleRascals Our Gang]]'': Spanky tries to deliberately lose a talent contest and tells his friends to boo him, but when the circumstances change and now he must win, the gang are not aware of the change and heckle him furiously. Fortunately, his efforts to keep going prove hilarious to the audience and he wins in a walk.* In ''Film/SchoolOfRock'', the band is in such a contest, and they don't win, but the audience requests an encore from them instead of the winning band, and they end up learning [[AnAesop an important lesson]].* In ''Film/TheBradyBunch [[TheMovie Movie]]'', the Bradys are in danger of losing their house because they inexplicably owe $10,000 in back taxes. By a ContrivedCoincidence, there's a talent show at the kids' high school where the prize is that exact amount.* In the ''[[TheRedGreenShow Red Green]]'' [[BigDamnMovie movie]], ''Duct Tape Forever'', the lodge has ten days to pay $10,000 in fines as part of a EvilPlan by a developer to buy the land out from under them. Harold finds an ad for a duct tape sculpture contest in Minnesota, with p''[[SecondPlaceIsForWinners a third-place prize]]'' of $10,000.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]* ''Series/TheBradyBunch'': "Amateur Night," where the kids enter a contest to raise money for an anniversary gift for Mike and Carol.* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Buffy, Willow, and Xander participate in a talent show, but only under duress.* ''{{Series/Scrubs}}'': "My Life in Three Cameras," spoofs {{sitcom}} tropes. A cafeteria employee (played by Clay Aiken) is in danger of being laid off due to budget cuts, and, in JD's imaginary sitcom, he wins the hospital talent contest and earns the money they need to keep him. When the episode cuts back to the real world, though, he actually does get laid off.* ''Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm'': The Rangers enter a talent show, but the plot's not so much about the competition as the fact that [[SecretChaser Cam's being secretive about his act and the others want to know what his talent is.]] (Incidentally, it's guitar playing, which lines up nicely with the InstrumentOfMurder weapon they receive that episode.) In the end, ''all'' the Rangers' acts wind up losing to [[ThoseTwoBadGuys Marah and Kapri]].* ''Series/TheDukesOfHazzard'': "Opening Night at the Boar's Nest," the final episode begins with one of these. It figures heavily into the plot as Boss -- playing the role of the disappearing lady -- disappears for real when he is kidnapped and taken hostage by two revenge-seeking crooks who were sent to prison on his testimony, and magician Rosco thinks that it was because he made him disappear for real.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Puppet Shows]]* ''Literature/EmmetOttersJugBandChristmas''* ''Series/ChickenMinute'' featured an episode about a singing contest, the aptly titled "The Singing Contest".[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong'' has an episode where Jake had to try to beat his best friend Spud in a talent contest in order to secure the prize (a magical MacGuffin) despite it being Spud's lifelong dream to win the contest.* The ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' episode "Rappin' Drakken", where Dr. Drakken went on [[AmericanIdol "American Starmaker"]] to promote his [[MayContainEvil brainwashing shampoo and cranium rinse]]. Ron (filling in for Kim, who was fighting Shego backstage) did the Naked Mole Rap.** In "Hidden Talent", Ron signed Kim up for a school talent show without asking her. He ended up [[HoldingTheFloor going onstage to stall]] while she escaped from Drakken's {{death trap}} and returned, after which she sang "[[ImageSong Say the Word]]"* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': "Erection Day" follows Jimmy trying to get rid of his erection before the school talent show is over.* One is held in "Talent Show" on ''WesternAnimation/TimothyGoesToSchool''. Timothy is assigned to be the Master of Ceremonies and when Grace gets hurt, she becomes his assistant.* The ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaIsland'' episode, "Not Quite Famous" features a talent show as the challenge.* The ''WesternAnimation/AngryBirdsToons'' episode, "Pig Talent", has the King Pig host a talent show in his palace. No matter how much the audience like performances, [[ChunkySalsaRule if King Pig isn't impressed, contestants get dropped down a trap door]].* The ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius'' episode "Battle of the Band" has Jimmy, Carl, and Sheen putting together a band for the school's talent contest using Jimmy's instruments that play songs just by thinking of the sounds. They aim to band together to outdo Cindy and Libby's river dance sequence, but things don't go exactly as planned.* The ''WesternAnimation/DuckDodgers'' episode "Talent Show A-Go-Go", in which the Martian Queen becomes TheChanteuse and Dodgers cheats by stealing Music/TomJones's voice.[[/folder]]----